Voice Of America Feature - Virtual Tourism: Going Places from the Comfort of Home
· 1 min read
Can you really have a travel experience without leaving home? Would-be explorers looking for options that provide the excitement and discovery of visiting new places have turned to live-stream tours to satisfy their wanderlust and connect with guides and fellow travel enthusiasts from around the world. Is this new form of virtual getaway here to stay? (continues below)
(2min video)
Producer for the San Francisco bureau of VOA (Voice of America), Matt Dibble reports on the demand for livestream tours during the Covid-19 pandemic on the VOA video new series on technology - LogOn. Matt spoke with Evainna Ross of Black Suit Initiative and her youth members about their livestream tour of Australia with Matt Urmenyhazi from Hop A Tour. Engaging, fun, and like exploring "a whole new world" were some of the reactions the high schoolers shared. San Francisco native and professional tour guide Dominic D'orazi discusses how he made the pivot to live-streaming his tours and the continued value he sees in being able to share his city with remote tourists even as travel has reopened.
Not a replacement for traditional travel, Kenan Braun, Founder and CEO of Hop A Tour, sees his company's immersive livestream tours as a new accessible way to explore - especially places that one may not otherwise be able to visit - and to enjoy a genuine unfiltered look at a location and its culture. Tour participants can text or use their mic to communicate with their expert guide and fellow participants in real-time, while the Full-HD livestream from out on location truly brings the destination home.
For those who love the experience of travel, low-cost virtual getaways have found their niche. https://www.voanews.com/episode/virtual-tourism-going-places-comfort-home-4771996
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